Airship Pirates - Sojourns

Pirates flying the skies for adventure and performance.

Our crew, after rescuing Alexander, made it’s return voyage to Helium City

On the way, the 1st Mate (NPC) put out a memo to the crew “Beatings will continue until morale improves.”

The crew is then waylaid by the Narwahle and its Captain, Josemyra Carver, a mercenary par excellence who was commisionned by Commodore Dalton-Herst to retrieve his “property” (which includes the Captain, of course). With the work of the Pilot and Chief Engineer, the Skywhale out maneuvers the mercenary….for now.

Upon return to Helium City, Baron Von Helszig of Isla Aether’s Golden Balloon is parked in our old spot. (Bastard!). The Skywhale chose to land in a slightly crappier berth.

Upon landing, Anna, Jacquard-3 , and Professor Freeman work on a side project (see last entry for details).

Captain Dalton-Herst has decided to investigate the whereabouts of Baron Helszig and his reasons for being in town. She decided to don a fancy party dress and headed over to the Ritz-Carlton to hobnob with the upper crust. It’s common knowledge that Skyloft elite “winter” in Helium CIty. Unfortunately, the captain did not find any information on the Baron’s whereabouts.

We arrive at the barge. Along with the crew, such as the Skipper Rellick and his son and daughter, there is a hired muscle, Claus (though known better as “Claws” or “Jaws”).

“By now you have been on this trip a while and by the fact you are alive, Claus has deemed you worthy of continuing this mission.

If you’re reading this: congratulations!

Now let me tell you where you’re headed.

The end of the line of this canal is a grounded city with is neither Skyloft, nor Neovictorian, nor Neobedouin. It is far far to tho the West where no one has ever been, except other barge folk called The Long Beach.

And I am proud to open a new line of business by offering this crate to the mayor of the CIty of The Long Beach.

See it in great care.

Signed,

The Honorable Abner “Coyote” Wiley"

A short while later a infestation of giant carnivorous roadrunners came aboard the barge. The Strongman, just able to get the crate inside the hold in the nick of time. Alexander put the whole of his might in barring the door.

Meanwhile, Claus and Anna inspect the crate to see if there was any damage, but could only hear ticking. After the events of the night before Anna dove for cover assuming a bomb was present.

Jacquard-3 meanwhile, attempted to find some source of smell that would distract the ravenous birds. In the galley, he found a large chunk of Limburger cheese which, after opening the door a crack (and losing his clockwork hand to the door) and throwing it on the deck, proved to be a successful gambit.

Near the end of the invasion Claus, having gotten on Alexander’s nerves, and vice versa, almost began a fistfight, but Anna, rifle in tow, was able to talk Claus out of starting anything foolish….

With the Adept navigation of Dr. Barbara Haze, the skillful leadership of Captain Dalton-Herst, and just a bit of help by Engineer Bellweather, the Skywhale managed to find the barge which carried the Great Alexdaner hostage.

Jacquard-3 wasted no time in organizing the artillery and the Skywhale’s broadside cannon pelleted the ship, taking down the barge’s engines. The Captain ordered the Grappling Hooks be shot to the barge and several of the crew, including Ms. Carlotta Kent, Dr. Haze and the Captain herself, boarded the vessel. Ms. Kent boarded the ship first and was met with a savage katana by teh Barge’s Captain, Bassason the Bounty Hunter.

Meanwhile, Jacquard-3 keep firing cannon shot whilst Anna, having run to the deck, was firing at the barge’s gunners, who were putting holes in the ship’s hull.

The crew and the new set of goods (including two pristine Steam Gatling Guns) set off back to Helium City for the Main show.

Extra:

That evening, Anna, Jacquard-3, and Prof. Freeman began work on an experimental device. With JAcquard-3’s electrical acumen, Prof. Freeman’s knowledge of explosives and fuses, and Anna’s Steam-smithing and engineering, they created an impressive deivce.

Anna and the Professor loaded the bomb on a steamcart to the rendevous point, a warehouse on the East side of town. They were escorted inside where the warehouse was loaded with smelly, sound dampening chickens. Further in, they were led into an office where a gentleman made out her identity, and pulled a gun on them.

Anna tried to parlay to them that the weapon was the real deal, but they were not buying it. Professor Freeman in an ill-advised act of snake-oil salesmanship, took out his shotgun to explain to them his weaponsmithing abilities.

All hell, unsurprisingly, broke loose.

Anna sped out of the room and avoided both bullet and arms grabbing her.

The Professor wasn’t so lucky. While he escpaed the office with only a few gunshot wounds and was able to shut the office door temporarily, the men caught up to him and Professor Freeman was beaten, shot and bruised, a pile on men started pummeling him.

Anna, meanwhile, escaped to set off the bomb. In doing so, she realized the fuse is MUCHMUCH than they intended and, yelling “2 seconds” and running out of the warehouse.

Then, there was a big boom. The Professor barely managed to survive, cushioned by the bodies of a dozen men and several hundred chickens.

When Anna re-entered to survey the damage, she found the Professor barely walking, caovered in blood, feathers and viscera. They limp back to the ship, with no money, but a least there was a big boom.

As the free show/audition looms, Captain Clara asks two of her crew to join the ranks of the star performers: a NeoBedouin traveling strongman by name of The Great Alexander and a refugee NeoVictorian Lady with anarchist leanings, Miss Carlotta St. John-Kent.

Carlotta’s specialty seems to be public relations and she drums up quite a bit of an audience by posting announcements and dropping a bug in just the right ears. Of course, she doesn’t refrain from handing out some of her more subversive political tracts(written under the nom de plume Lottie Sangrie) wrapped in the playbills she hands out at the show in her role as ticket taker(though this particular performance is gratis).
p. The big show is a resounding success as the entire crew rallies behind the captain’s stirring introductory speech. Jacquard-3 functions without error as the mesmerizing emcee for the show. The Captain’s dance number and Annabelle’s feats of prestidigitation both leave the audience speechless, hearts caught in their throats. When The Great Alexander takes center stage, oiled muscles rippling in the setting sun, the audience thrills to his show of might. In the finale, all the heroes join together in a breathtaking display of animal handling.

The crowd goes wild, showering our heroes in adulation and coins! The afterparty is at The Crooked Girder, a local watering hole for some of the more passionate and sensitive steel workers. Here, Anna and Alexander cannot resist(and why would they?!) a friendly game of Airship Quarters. The stakes are money and drunken unconsciousness. Anna attains the dubious honor of being the last player to maintain consciousness. Even in her ‘Plastered’ state, she is still quicker to swipe up the coins from the table than Carlotta, who had been eyeing the contestants like a hawk all night, waiting for just such a chance. As it is, they split the pot.

Alexander does not fare quite so well. After drinking well beyond his capacity, Captain Clara-May auctions off his passed out charms to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, he doesn’t go for much, but he does get dragged off by a seemingly amorous admirer who is tentatively identified as Alderman Willis.

The next day, having seen neither hide nor hair of their strongman, the crew begin to sense something amiss and make inquiries. Indeed, it seems the “alderman” is in fact a bounty hunter who has been tracking Alexander for some time. Dark whispers indicate his route to be a northerly one by barge.

Meanwhile, The Captain and Jacquard-3, after an obligatory free breakfast with their adoring public, make their way to Wiley’s office to cut the deal. Wiley offers them a secret bonus job if they are interested. Of course they are! This is to be a very discreet delivery involving a crate that is not to be opened under any circumstances.

Shortly before the Captain and robot’s return, Anna Bellweather is rudely interrupted from her morning coffee therapy by a message from three scraggly strangers. It seems, she has once again been mistaken for her accomplished and very charitable twin sister, Lulubelle! Even so, Anna manages to turn the situation to her advantage. Or does she? The three strangers introduce themselves with a secret handshake and arcane signals as members of a furtive cabal of revolutionaries who are expecting her sister and a certain Everglades anarchist to deliver a donation of special weaponry. After Anna’s moderately successful bluff/negotiation, the three agree to her request for payment but defer authority to their cell captain who will be present at the agreed upon midnight rendezvous at a warehouse in the Eastgate District.

At or about noon, the remaining heroes(all those who have not been abducted the previous evening) set out for the Crooked Girder to seek clues as to Alexander Ursa’s whereabouts. These investigations lead our intrepid adventurers to the Northgate docks where they ascertain that 2 barges left that morning; one at 0800 and one at 1030. The game is afoot! Off they go back to the Sky-Whale for a hot aerial pursuit. One of those barges has to contain their friend.

Meanwhile, awakening from a drunken stupor, Alexander fights for his freedom against a menacing villain and his five henchmen. After awing them by breaking his chains, he presses his advantage with a daring barefisted attack using his shattered fetters to lay about him good and all! Alas, even after besting the henchmen, he is still laid low by the bounty hunter whose flashing katana blade draws gouts of spurting blood from the mighty-thewed tribesman. Although slightly cowed by the dastardly villain’s command to surrender, our hero vows he will not be held for long…

And so things stand as the jolly crew of the Sky-Whale make ready to sail into the ominous northern wasteland to rescue their good and true friend and mate!

Our intrepid crew arrives in Helium City at the behest of Abner “Coyote” Wiley, who has hired the PCs to perform for his daughter’s birthday.

Helium City, near the start of the “storm season” is kicked up with wind and dust as the PCs Arrive on the goodship Lollipop Skywhale? with their circus The Floating Menagerie

After being hailed by the Airship Docking Officer, Jacquard-3 and Professor Freeman come down and convince the Officer to let the ship dock in the lowest rung of the Sky Tower for only 2 Helios, on the condition they have a public performance of the circus.

Captain Clara Dalton-Herst, Jacquard-3, and Aaron went into town to find Mr. Coyote. Along the way they calmed down and helped resume a fistfight. When they came in to bee Mr. Coyote, he promised them work performing for his daughter’s birthday, on the condition they perform an “audition” performance in town for free that evening.

Anna and Prof. Freeman, meanwhile, walked into town looking for new parts, new clothes, and new gizmos. After being accosted by several rickshaw drivers and refusing their services, one of them pulled a gun on Professor Freeman, intending to shoot, but was disarmed by Anna just in the nick of time. The thwarted driver ran off, leaving the Professor with a new gun and Anna with a new Rickshaw and .50 He of business, which she then spent on a new blouse and set of trousers.

Now the crew has to scramble back and put on a show that will be talked about for ages! Or at least one that passes the audition…